WORDS THAT LEAK

 

 

 

WORDS THAT LEAK

 

Leaders have a way with words;

Churchill once proclaimed

that in time of stress when there is pain

and everything seems futile,

all that we may offer is liquid hope -

our blood or sweat or tears.

 

When JFK was shot,

I thought of broken dreams

for I was young, didn't know

about Marilyn or the CIA

and the Bay of Pigs,  

the plot to kill Fidel.

 

I didn't know about the mob and labour unions

nor that money talks.

I didn't know Vietnam was a business,

that the gooks were you and me.

That JFK fumbled the ball,

didn't live in Camelot.

 

Now, whenever they murder

some famous American,

I know it’s for the common good,

another secret tucked into a vault

to slowly leak

like deadly gas.

 

Assassination excites media, sells a million books,

encourages citizen speculation

across the world

like a crimson puddle

spreading wide on chalked streets

in the urban centres.

Reviews

[JE Falcon]

So sad, the thoughtform here. :(

[Mike Keenan]

Indeed. It's hard not to be cynical.

[JE Falcon]

No, I was referring to your thought that any person's death that sells a thousand books is a good thing. When that is not all that it did. --- "Kennedy’s feelings about Vietnam went beyond mere qualms: he had already reached a decision and acted on it. In National Security Action Memorandum 263, dated October 11, 1963, Kennedy articulated his decision to withdraw all US military forces from Vietnam by the end of 1965 — with the withdrawal to be completed after the 1964 election. This was the formal policy of the United States government on the day he died." --- The continuation of the war after Kennedy's death was the real villain. The War-Machine was hungry and needed feeding. If Kennedy had lived it would have gone starving. So, you see, any "so-called, personally conceived benefits to his death fade away with the thousands and thousands of war lives that were taken after his death. --- I do not believe there is a benefit to any leader's death unless it is a tyrant bent on war; like we now have in Russia. --- But, hey, I'm just one voice crying in the wilderness, carrying a lamp, and looking for an honest person. :)

[Mike Keenan]

the military-industrial complex loves extended wars; the cost of weaponry is absurd; methinks there were many who reaped fortunes thanks to his death

[Gee]

I either remember or have read about all of which you write. Bad news is good news for the tabloids, good news is only good for those who are receiving it, well, as far as the media are concerned.
Enjoyed your words and my minds trip back in time :)

[Mike Keenan]

Thanks Gee; I appreciate your feedback.

[Unspoken poet]

Assassination excites media, sells a million books,
encourages citizen speculation
across the world
like a crimson puddle
spreading wide on chalked streets
in the urban centres.

WOW!! Quite intrigued with this write, I have read books on Kennedy,
Sounded like a wonderful person. I don't understand why someone assassinated him.

[Mike Keenan]

There were lots of reasons - Bobby, the mafia, CIA, military-industrial complex, and some we will never know. He was killed by far more than Oswald.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I experienced the same as a kid when Kennedy was assassinated, same when Bobby was.
And yes, they had flaws, both of them...but as I have aged, I have realized they all have skeletons in the closet and I just want them to do the jobs for which they were elected.

But yes, today the news excites, sells...I miss our old newscasters who just relayed the news and didn't try to be entertainment stars.
I surely can relate to this write.
j.

[Mike Keenan]

Thanks Jacob; if only we knew what we didn't know when we were young, but perhaps that might have reduced our hope. Everyone wanted Camelot, but people are people no matter how esteemed and therefore have lots of warts that we would prefer not to see. How does one explain Tucker Carlson by the way? What a phony.